How Exactly To Transition From Tournament Poker To Cash Games - They Are Only Poker Chips

I played mostly Texas hold em No Limit Tournaments in the Casino's and home games for a long time. I did not play that much in Cash Games. I was doing pretty much in the tournaments, usually making the ultimate table, and sometimes in the money. I was very comfortable playing Tournaments, not really much when it came to cash games. I discovered I had the wrong mindset or attitude about Cash Games. Here's what happened to alter my mind-set, my attitude, and eventually improved my Cash Game play dramatically.

I mostly played small buy in tournaments, somewhere around $30 to $60 buy-ins, at a local Casino. We were holding held every single day, and I played several per week. I was doing pretty well. On the days I obtained knocked from the tournament early and still felt like playing poker, I'd move to a cash dining table, qq online $1/2 no limit with a maximum buy in of $300. There were mostly "regulars" playing, and I got to know most of them. I had not been doing well in the money Games, and I did not know why. I'm not really a bad player, but I possibly could not determine what was wrong with my Cash Game. The poker chips just would not come my way. It seemed I kept getting bet out of the pot. I'd have what I thought was a very strong hand, not the absolute nuts, but a good hand, maybe the best hand. I'd make my bet accordingly, say $35 to $50, and then somebody would raise me to $150 or $200 and I'd fold.

I didn't really know it, but I was what you'd call "scared money". I had trouble risking $150-$200 on a hand that was not the absolute nuts. This caused me to fold the thing that was probably the most readily useful hand sometimes because of the fear of losing that much on just one hand, sometimes just one card. Doyle Brunson made a comment onetime, something to the effect that in order to be an expert at the poker tables, you have to have a "certain disregard" for the worth of money. I thought I had that. Well, I didn't. When it came time to put the big chips in the pot without having to be sure of winning, I was concerned about the amount of money. It was nearly subconscious. I did not know I was "scared money".

One of the regulars I used was what I'd consider a very loose, aggressive, crazy gambling guy. His bankroll fluctuated like crazy. Some days winning several hundred dollars, other days losing a lot of or more. But he said something 1 day that really stuck with me. When some body commented on his loose, aggressive gambling style he said "I don't offer a hoot about the money. This means nothing at all if you ask me. I figure if I lose it all I'll just go make some more. I really don't care". He was serious and he meant it. At first I thought, "Man, this is quite a flippant attitude to have about hard earned cash".

On the way home, I considered what he'd said. While I do not want to play as loose and crazy as he does, maybe I need a small amount of his attitude about money. It suddenly became clear to me why I was not doing so well in Cash Poker. Maybe I AM "scared money", and if you've ever played much cash poker, you almost certainly know what I mean. Scared money does not win poker chips. I decided right then and there, that if I'm going to play Cash Poker, I absolutely have to be prepared to risk up to many hundred dollars on a single hand or single card. If I'm not totally willing to do that at the poker table, I better adhere to tournaments.

By keeping this though at heart, I started to "gamble" more in the bucks games. Instead of folding to a $150 bet, easily really thought I might have the best hand, I'd raise another $150 or more. Not when I was completely unsure of where I stood, but on the times I felt right about my actions. I had not been going to allow "value of money" affect my play. I would play my best poker game, and risk whatever it took to play the best I possibly could, regardless of the loss in money. No more "scared money" play for me.

Over time this small change in attitude, my mindset, made all the difference. I soon found my opponents folding to my re-raises. I was winning bigger pots, my plays earned more respect, and it turned my entire cash game around. I had bigger losses some days too, but overall, it improved my cash game quite a bit. I had been playing as "scared money" and did not even understand it at that time. Cash Poker takes a different mindset than Tournament Poker, and I finally determined what it had been for me. Basically bust my daily Poker bankroll, I'll just go earn even more.